Best insurer in UK named following analysis

Berkshire Hathaway International has been named the UK’s best-performing insurer by market intelligence firm Insurance DataLab following its latest analysis of insurers’ solvency and financial condition reports.

The insurer achieved an overall underwriting rating of 87.3%, earning its second Insurance DataLab Gold Award after previously securing recognition in 2023.

Insurance DataLab’s ratings are based on a proprietary methodology assessing insurers across three key measures – current-year combined operating ratio (COR), three-year aggregate COR and annual improvement in COR. The highest-scoring insurers receive a Gold Award.

Berkshire Hathaway International led a group of eight UK insurers recognised this year, ahead of Pelagos Insurance Capital, which achieved a rating of 73.9%, followed by Aspen at 73.1%. Hiscox, QBE, Sabre, Motors Insurance Company and Travelers also achieved Gold Award status.

Strong underwriting results

Berkshire Hathaway International’s performance was driven by a significant improvement in underwriting profitability, reporting a COR of 52.0% for 2025/26 compared with 99.4% the previous year.

The insurer also achieved the maximum COR improvement rating of 95%, while recording a three-year aggregate COR of 77.6%.

Second-placed Pelagos Insurance Capital, formerly Fidelis Underwriting, secured its third Gold Award after improving its COR from 86.0% to 77.7%. Aspen completed the top three after reporting a COR of 75.6%, continuing a trend of year-on-year improvement.

Meanwhile, several previous winners returned to the rankings, underlining the importance of sustained underwriting performance.

Hiscox re-entered the Gold Award group after previously being recognised in 2024, while Sabre also returned to the list. Travelers, Markel and Hiscox maintained their Gold Award status from the previous study.

Insurance DataLab co-founder Matt Scott said: “Berkshire Hathaway International has delivered an exceptional underwriting performance, combining a substantial improvement in its latest results with strong profitability over the past three years. It is a thoroughly deserving recipient of this year’s top ranking.

“Strong underwriting performance is about more than a single good year. By considering current profitability alongside longer-term results and improvement, our ratings look beyond annual peaks and troughs to provide a more robust assessment of underwriting excellence.

“The return of several previous winners also highlights the importance of this consistency. Congratulations to Berkshire Hathaway International and all of this year’s UK Gold Award winners.”